Man Files Class Action Against Sony Over Firmware 3.0 Problems

A Florida man filed a class action lawsuit against Sony Computer Entertainment America last week, claiming that PlayStation 3's recent firmware 3.0 upgrade caused consoles to "malfunction," requiring an expensive fix. A complaint filed by lead plaintiff John Kennedy, and originally unearthed by Courthouse News, claimed that "thousands of Sony PS3 video game owners who downloaded a system software update required by Sony found that the update caused their PS3 units to malfunction and actually damaged the hardware on many units." The suit claimed that Sony is charging $150 to repair PS3s with "sustained hardware damage" from the update. Sony released a major update to the PS3's firmware in early September, which added some new functionality and features to the console. Days later, Sony acknowledged complaints from users who said that following the update, certain games would "freeze" up, and controllers were not functioning correctly. "SCEA is aware of reports that PS3 owners are experiencing isolated issues with their PS3 system since installing the most recent system software update (v3.00)," the company stated on its blog following the release of the update. Days later, Sony released a follow-up firmware update intended to remedy the issues apparently caused by the original release, but the plaintiff alleged the new update did not fix the issues, and actually caused further problems with the console's Blu-ray drive. The suit accuses SCEA of breach of implied warranty, negligence, negligent misrepresentation, unjust enrichment, and other counts. The suit is seeking restitution and damages in an amount to be decided at trial, as well as legal fees. SCEA did not immediately return request for comment.